Russian President Vladimir Putin (PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)Vladimir Putin and his military commanders were warned on Wednesday that the “long arm of justice will follow them forever” as they are hunted down for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stressed that they would be brought to court, however long it took, for breaches of the laws of war.
“It’s absolutely right they know that the long arm of justice will follow them forever,” he told Parliament.
“This cannot be swept away by just one man in the Kremlin...right down through the chain of command, right now those commanders sending those young men to their death they also need to face justice, military or international.”
Mr Wallace was responding to a question from Sir Bob Neill, Conservative chairman of the Commons justice committee, as more footage and reports emerged from Ukraine of atrocities being committed.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians have been killed within the first two weeks of the invasion as Russian forces have bombarded towns and cities with increasingly “indiscriminate” attacks.
Sir Bob asked: “Isn’t it important that in terms of future deterrents, not just to Putin, but the rest of his regime, it’s very clear that we are deadly serious about the gathering of war crimes.
“It may take many years before we are in a position to prosecute them.
“It may be necessary to look at, as has been suggested by some, a dedicated international criminal tribunal to deal with jurisdiction issues.
“But would he agree with me it’s important that we send the message that we are not going away on this, we are going to amass the evidence, and for however long it takes we will pursue them, not just Putin, but right the way down the chain of command, for those who are responsible for when his regime falls, like Milosevic’s, then the democracies of the world are coming for you.”
Earlier, Mr Wallace stressed the Russian president was now “contained in a cage of his own making” following the invasion of Ukraine, adding that “his legacy now is he is done” and that he had “sent Russia backwards”.
He also told MPs that Russian efforts to bring the Wagner Group paramilitary organisation into the war were a sign of "desperation".
Mr Putin’s ground forces are struggling to advance towards the capital Kyiv and to seize other cities despite the Kremlin having reportedly already committed into Ukraine more than 90 per cent of up to 190,000 troops deployed around its borders for the invasion.
Mr Wallace said: "We've seen significant amounts of effort to try and bring Wagner Group into Ukraine. Wagner Group being the wholly unacceptable mercenary company responsible for all sorts of atrocities in Africa and the Middle East.
“And the fact that Russia is now trying to encourage them to take part in Ukraine, I think, is a telling sign. It doesn't give us any comfort, but it is, nevertheless, a sign."
The Defence Secretary also warned a no-fly zone could hamper Ukrainian efforts to deal with Russian artillery and missiles.
Pressed on introducing a no-fly zone, he said: "At the moment the balance is I don't think it suits actually the Ukrainian disposition given the amounts of heavy armour and missiles in the Russian stocks.
"If you had a no-fly zone, the Russians have a massive advantage with shells and missiles and they would not stop in a no-fly zone whereas the few things that the Ukrainians have to reach the Russians at depth are in the air and I think you'd actually hamper one."
Labour former minister Hilary Benn asked about the possible donation of Polish fighter jets to Ukraine and questioned if it would be considered a defensive system.
Mr Wallace said: “I think it depends on how you use aircraft. If you are close air support to Kyiv then it’s obviously defensive, if you're seeking to enter another sovereign territory, like the Russian air force, then it's not; I think that is important to recognise.
“I think it's a deeply bilateral decision for those countries but as a friend and ally of Poland we will stand by their decision.”
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey told the Commons that the Government had Labour's "full support" for reinforcing Nato nations on the eastern border with Russia.
He stressed Mr Putin has "miscalculated on the international resolve to isolate Russia" and "on the strength of the Western and Nato unity".
